Clutch.



No. 829,525. PATENTED AUG. z8, 1906.

W. s. HILL. CLUTCH.

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. an outer or driving UNITED sTATEs PATENT orrion.

WARREN S. HILL, OF

HYDE PARKVMASSACHSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2e, 1906.

Application filed J une 27, 1904. Serial No. 2I4.234.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN S. HILL, a citiz en of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Hyde Park, in the county of Norfolk and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inClutches, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to clutches, and has for its object theproduction of a friction- 'clutch in which will be combined simplicity,durability, and efficiency. 4

It consists in certain novel features of c onstruction and arrangementofy parts, which will be readily understood by reference to thedescription of the drawings and to the claims to be hereinafter given.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 represents an elevation of a clutch embodyingthe features ofl this invention, a portion thereof being shown insection. Fig. 2 represents a central section on line 2 2 on Fig. 1, andFig. 3 represents a diagram showing the pecullar construction anoperation of the clutch-shoe.

In the drawings the numeral 10 represents member consisting of anannular fiange formed upon a disk 11, which may be conveniently rotatedin any suitable manner in the direction of the arrow'shown in Fig. 1 andwhich is provided with a central hub 12.

The iange 10 has secured to its outer face by means of screws 13 aclosing disk or late 14, havinga hub 15, similar to the hu 12, formed onthe disk 11, said hubs 12 15 extending inwardly from the disks 11 14.The hubs 12 15 are in axial line, and within them are rotatably mountedthe hubs 16 17 of an inner member *18. The disks 11 14 and theperipheral flange 10 form with the inner memer 18 a chamber to protectthe moving parts from injury and from which all foreign' substances areexcluded. Within the above# mentioned chamber may be placed any suitablelubricant to prevent any heavy pressure causing abrasion to thedifferent bearing-surfaces within the clutch. Through the center of themember 18 and fixed thereto by means of a key 19 is a shaft 20, throughthe central bore of which is slidably mounted an actuator 21, havinginclined faces 22, engaging with radial connectors 23, slidably mountedin bearings 24, formed in the inner member 18 andthe shaft 20. Upon theinner mem- By reference to outer or working face of sai ber 18 andarticulated thereto by pins25'26 are toggle members 27 ,having equalcontact,-

faces or shoes 28, said faces being slightly at one side of a radialline drawn throughthe center of the actuator-shaft and pins 25 26 and inthat direction from which the driving member 10 is moving. Thefrictional face of each shoe 28 is -made of a radius somewhat less thanthat of the inner periphery of the driving member 1.0 and is somounted'u on the pins 25 26 that said frictional face willbe eccentricthereto in order to prevent the edge of the shoe 28 when operating fromscraping the lubricant from said inner periphery of the member 10, andthereby cause scoring or groovingthereon.

the diagram,fFig. 3 of the drawings, it will readily be s'een that thetoggle member 27 is pivoted at 25 and that the shoe 28 thereon is atAall times slightly at one side of a radial line a b, which passesthrough the center c of said pivot 25. The forward corner of said shoe28 moves in the are of a circle the radius of which is e ual to c d. Theshoe 28 is of a different and a greater radius ef, bein struck from acenter e slightly to one side o the radial line ab and forms the arc ofa circle the radius of which is somewhat less than the radius of theinner surface of the ange 10. It will therefore be seen that between theare with the radius c d and the` are of the working face of the shoewith the radius e there is a small wedge-shaped portion. en the togglemember 27 1s moved about its pivot 25 to grip upon the member 10, a togge action is produced with a rapidly-increasing leverage, owing to thiswedge-shaped section, and this increasingleverage continues ineffectiveness until a certain point has been reached in the length ofsaid shoe, when, 0W- ing t`o the shorter radius of the shoe 28,theforward corner of the'working face will have become removed from theinterior surface of the member 10 and the toggle action will then becomenullified and t e shoe will be permitted to slip upon said member toprevent injury to the various parts of the clutch. This action of theshoe produced by having ythe Working surface of said shoe of a slightlylless radius than the radius of the inner surface of the member 10 andstruckfrom apoint at one side of a radial line through the center of theclutch and the pivot of said shoe proroo duces a result which hasheretofore never been accomplished and makes the clutch very effectivein its operation.

It is obvious from an ins ection of the drawings that when the togg emembers 27 are operated to bring the shoes 28 into coperation with thedriving member 10 the latter will operate thereon to straighten thetoggle and set the clutch, but that the various parts are so arrangedthat the shoes can never reach a locking-point. The point of contactnever passes beyond the radial line drawn through the center oftheactuator 21 and pins 25 26.

The wear upon the coacting shoe and inner periphery of the member 10 isautomatically adjusted by the peculiar'construction of the face of theshoe 28, which would be worn entirely away before the inner periphery ofthe member 1() failed to engage the same.

On either side of each shoe 28 are counterbalance members 29 andoperating-arms 30. Within the inner end of each counterbalance member 29and secured thereto by means of the screw 31 is a spring 32, bearingupon the inner member 18, which spring normally holds the shoes 28 fromcontact with the inner periphery of the driving member 10. To the freeend of the operating-arms 30 is secured, by means of a threaded shank33, a bearing-head 34, coacting with the radial connectors 23, passingthrough the member 18. To adjust the head 34 within the arm 30, thescrew 35 is released and the head 34 is rotated in the desired directionto increase or decrease, as the case may be, the distance betweeny saidhead 34 and arms 30, when the screw 35 is again made to clamp the shank33 to prevent any further movement of the same.

To prevent the'waste and leakage of the lubricant due to the centrifugalaction past the crevice, between the member 10 and disk 14 is apacking-ring 36, and should any leakage occur between the hubs 12 15 andhubs 16 17 upon the member 18 the centrifugal action will cause thelubricant to enter the groove 37 and thence through the passages 38 tothe main chamber.

The operation of this clutch is as follows: With the parts in therelation here illustrated the outer member 1() is driven in a suitablemanner continuously in one direction, as indicated by the arrow inFig. 1. A movement is applied in any suitable manner to the actuator 21causing it tomove in the direction of the arrow shown in-Fig. 2 to forceoutwardly the radial connectors 23 in their bearings 24, whichconnectors coacting with the heads 34, securedto the operating-arms 30,cause the toggle members 27 to contact with the inner periphery of themember 10. The movement of the member 10 in the direction of the arrowtends to straighten the toggle member 27 and insure the rotation of theshaft 20 in unison with the driving member 10. It is therefore obviousthat the toggle members 27 will transmit any movement of the member 10against any load to the inner member 18, rotating the shaft 20 to driveany suitable mechanism. When the shoe 28 is in cooperation with themember 10, the counterbalance member 29 carried thereby approaches themember 18, compressing the spring 31. When a reverse movement other t antheabove is applied to the actuator 21, the connectors 23, riding downthe inclined surfaces 22, will allow the counterbalance member 29 to beoperated upon by centrifugal force, assisted by the springs 31, to re--turn the shoe 28 to the normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. To morereadily permit the breaking of the toggle by centrifugal action, asdescribed, the end 30 of the toggle-lever is cored and madeV as light aspossible, while the counterbalance 'member 29 is made quite heavy incontrast thereto, 'this excess in weight assisting in the operation ofbreaking the toggle when the movement of the connectors 23 allow this.

The devices for operating the clutchmembers may be lightly constructed,as the work to be performed thereby is simply to move theshoes 28 intopositionwhere the movement of the driving member will act thereon tostraighten the toggle and. firmly set the clutch. It is also obviousthat the power to operate the clutch is derived almost entirely from thedriving member, a very little power being required of the operator tomove the actuator to cause the shoes to be moved into operativeposition. This construction makes a very efficient clutch, which issimple in operation and which may be readily operated with but littleexpenditure of power.

It is believed that the operation of the clutch will be thoroughlyunderstood without further description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a clutch, thecombination of a revoluble outer member having an internal working face,a revoluble shaft, an inner member secured thereto, and levers pivotedto said member and provided with shoes having frictional'faces eccentricto said internal working face when coperating therewith, the front oroperating edge of each shoe being always at that side of a line passingthrough the axis of the clutch and the lever-pivot from which the outermember is moving.

2. In a clutch, the combination of a revoluble outer member having aninternal working face, a revoluble shaft, an inner lmember securedthereto, and levers pivoted to said member and provided with shoeshaving frictional faces eccentric to said internal working face whencooperating therewith, each shoe having its front or operating edgealways at a point intermediate the operating end of said lever and aline radial to the aXis of said IOC ISO

I said levers. to bring the shoes thereon into -engagement with theinternal face of the ber and provided with shoes having frictional faceseccentric to saidinternal working face when vcooperating therewith,.thefront or, op-

erating edge of each shoe bein always at' that side of a line passingthroug the axis of the clutch and the lever-pivot from whichV the outermember is moving, an actuator, and connectors interposed between saidactuator and said levers and adapted to move outer member.

4. In a clutch, thecombination of a revoluble' outer member having aninternal working face, a revoluble shaft, an inner member securedthereto, levers` ivoted to said member and provided with shoes havingfrictional faceseccentric to said internal Working face when coperatingtherewith, each shoe having its front or operating edge always at a ointintermediate the operating end of said ever and a line radial to theaxis of said outer member and passing through said lever-pivot, anactuator, an connectors interposed between said actuator and said leversand adapted to move said levers to bring the shoes thereon intoengagement with the internal face of the outer member.

5. In a clutch, the combination ofa revoluble outer member having aninternal working face, a revoluble shaft, an inner member securedthereto, and levers ivoted to said member. and provided with s oes adated to engage said internal face said shoes aving frictional facesstruck from a center at one side of-a line radial to the internal faceof said outer clutch membery and passing -ing face,

through the pivot of said shoes and the front edge of said shoe beingalways at that side of said line from which theouter member is movmg. .vv

6. In a clutch, the combination of a revoluble outer member having aninternal worka revoluble shaft, lan inner member secured thereto, leversivoted to said member and provided with shoes having frictional faceseccentric to said internal working face when in o eration therewith, thefront or operating e ge of each shoe bein always at that side of a line.passing throng the axis of the clutch and the lever-pivot from which theouter member is moving, an arm extending from said lever, and .meansoperating upon the free end thereof to forcesaid Working A face intoengagement with 'the outer clutch'member.

.7. In a clutch, the combination of a revoluble outer member having aninternal working face, a revoluble shaft, an inner member securedthereto, levers ivoted to said member and provided with sh faceseccentric to said internal working face when in o eration therewith, thefront or operating e ge of each shoe bein always at that side of a linepassing throng the axis of the clutch and the lever-pivot from which theouter member is moving, an arm extending from said lever, meansoperating upon the' free end thereof to force said working face intoengagement with the outer clutch member, anda' spring operating uponsaid arm to breaktthe connection between said shoes and internal workingface.

- Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 20th day of June, 1904.

WARREN s. HILL.

oes having frictional

